Chinese Whispers: Golden Gate gives a fresh take on San Francisco as the staging ground for a massive diaspora, inside the U.S., of Chinese immigrants who spread into the Mother Lode with the Gold Rush as well as moved eastward with the railroad-building—in reverse direction to the nation’s 19th century westward expansion. These workers form an indispensable but under-acknowledged part of the underpinning for Manifest Destiny in American’s historical reach toward the Pacific Rim. This production will also explore the San Francisco Bay Area legacy of the Central Pacific Railroad’s Big Four—Crocker, Hopkins, Huntington, and Stanford—in the context of the Chinese railroad and mining workers.

Chinese Whispers: Golden Gate will be the flagship event for Chinese Whispers, using the research and interview approach developed in our pilot project in the Sierra Foothills. Artistic Director Rene Yung will develop a new San Francisco script for a local community storytelling event, and collaborate with sound artist Jeremiah Moore to create a new multimedia design that juxtaposes contemporary soundscapes with visual imagery and spoken community memories.

Development of this production is made possible by generous support from the San Francisco Foundation, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and from charter members of Chinese Whispers: Golden Gate. Join us in this exciting creative innovation as a vanguard supporter now.